Wood-heel cupping machine



July 15, 1952 w. J. GRENIER WOOD-HEEL CUPPING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. I5, 1949 r Y 2 z a 9 m y w my 5 z z 7 5 4. 9 5 w 1 r a V @r P 2 s/ 8 4. J V o a: s 4. 4 7 J o 5 s 0 2a z a 1 4 a 2. v e v. N 7 f w umb. e L /1 o u m a 4 .w a s fi s iu m a 4 4 u A W July 15, 1952 w. J. GRENIER WOOD-HEEL. CUPPING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 3, 1949 508721 07 red J' Grerzzer y 15, 1952 w. J. GRENIER 2,603,257

WOOD-HEEL CUPPING MACHINE Filed Feb. 5, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 04 J06 J45 j4 12 2057222;- J3 .lfij'redj frerzzel- Patented July 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WOOD-HEEL CUPPING MACHINE Wilfred J. Grenier, North Rutland, Mass. Application February 3, 1949, Serial No. 74,437

18 Claims. (Cl. 144-145) The present invention relates to improvements in wood-working machines and more particular- 1y, to improvements in wood-heel cupping machines.

' The primary object of the present invention is to provide a machine for automatically cupping the upper faces of wood-heel blanks in a manner which will enable this work to be performed by unskilled labor; the machine being adapted successively to clamp the blanks, as they are fed to the machine, and to hold them in place during the cupping operation, and thereafter, automatically discharging themat the end of the cupping cycle.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a machine of the above noted type which is so designed that it may be quickly and easily adapted for the automatic cupping of different size wood heels by relatively unskilled persons.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an automatic cupping machine which will be not only efficient in operation but which, at the same time, will be relatively inexpensive of manufacture. I

A still further object of the present invention is to provide the machine of the above noted type which, although fully automatic in operatained thereby will be readily understood bythoseskilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings, I

Fig. 1 represents atop plan view of the present machine. 7

Fig. 2 represents a sectional view of the present machine taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

,Fig' 3 represents, on an enlarged scale, a top plan view of a blank-gripping mechanism.

Fig.4 represents, on an enlarged scale, a sectional view through. an air valve mechanism, which view is taken substantially along'the line 4. 4 of Fig. 1.

;Fig. 5 represents, 'oii an'enlarged scale, a sectional view through an air valve mechanism,

2 which view is taken substantially along the line 5--5of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 represents a perspective view of a typical type of wood-heel blank which is operated on by the present machine.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 represent, respectively, top, side and end views of the wood-heel blank as it is discharged from the machine upon the completion of the cupping operation.

Fig. 10 represents, on an enlarged scale, a perspective view of a conveyor mechanism which may be used in conjunction with the present machine, for the purpose of successively placing a plurality of wood-heel blanks within the various blank-gripping mechanisms carried upon the machine. I

Fig. 11 represents, on an enlarged scale, a right-hand end view of the machine disclosed in Fig. 1, with the conveyor mechanism which is disclosed in Fig. 10, secured in its operative position. and illustrating the air cylinder portion of this mechanism in longitudinal section.

Fig. 12 represents, on an enlarged scale, an end view of a modified form of pattern element which is adapted to be adjusted so as to accommodate the machine for the production of various size wooden heels.

Fig. 13 represents a sectional view of the device disclosed in Fig. 12, which sectional view is taken substantially along the line I3|3 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 represents a sectional view taken substantially along the line l4l4 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 represents a sectional view taken substantially along the line l5l5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 16 represents a perspective view of a portion of the adjusting mechanism'disclosed in Fig. 15.

Fig. 17 represents a sectional view taken substantially along the line i1|1 of Fig. 3.

As hereinabove noted, Fig. 6 represents a wooden heel blank l5 of the type which is fed to the present machine. It will be .observed that such a blank is substantially rectangular in shape. The present machine, as above indiciated, is adapted to perform a so-called cupping operation upon the blanks, which operation consists in cutting the upper face of the blank in a manner as is particularly illustrated in Figs. '7, 8 and 9. In other words, the upper face of the blank [5 is cut so as to providev a substantially concave surface I6, which surface will support directly the under portion of' a shoe, after the blank has been completed byrturnin'g each of the opposite side portions of the blank in a well-known manner. Shoes employing heels of the present type are known in the trade by the term wedgies.

The present machine comprises a pair of laterally spaced upright arm members l1 and I8, each of which is pivotally supported at its lower portion upon a horizontally disposed shaft l9. These shafts |9, |9 may be journaled within bearing blocks 23 which may be suitably secured upon the floor. The upper end portions of the arms l1 and I8 are adapted to receive the opposite end portions of a rotatable shaft 2|. Mounted upon the shaft 2| is a cylindrical drum structure 22 which is adapted to carry a plurality of blank clamping elements, each of'which is generally designated by the numeral 23.

The right-hand end portion of the shaft 2|, as viewed in Fig. 1, projects through the'ar'm I1 and into a gear box 24. As may be best understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the end portion of the shaft 2| carries a worm wheel 25 which meshes directly with a worm 2G journaled within the end walls of the gear casing 24. "The gears 25. and 26 function as a speed reduction unit, and the latte'r'gear is driven by means of an electric motor 21 through the mediu'm' 'of a pair of pulleys.28 an'd- 29 anda belt 30 connecting said pulleys. From this, it will be app eciated that upon energization of the motor 21 the drum 22 will rotate in a predetermined direction at a speed which is substantially less than that of the motor shaft. In the present machine, the drum or cylinder 22 is adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction, as'vieW'ed-in Figfz. The motor 21. is secured directly upon a flange 3| which, in turn,'is. mounted upon the outside face of the arm l1. Suitable leads, not herein shown, function to. connect the motor 21- to a suitable source of electrical energy.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1-, 2 and 3, it is to. be noted thatthe cylinder 2:2..has spaced about its peripheral portion, six of 'the above noted clamping elements 23, 23. Each of these mechanisms includesa stationary jaw member 32 which is rigidly secured to the peripheral portion" of the cylinder. by any. suitable means. 'As may be particularly seen in Fig; 3, the jawmember 32 is provided with a recessed face portion 33 which is adapted to receive a wood-heel blank l5.

A movable jaw element 344s carried -uponthe end portion of a pistonrod 35 and is adapted to engage one edge portion of the blank l5 for the purpose of locking the same within the confines of the jaw recess 33. The other end portion of thepiston rod35 extends into an air'cylinder 36, and is secured directly to a piston element 31. An air hose 38 is attached. to the left-ha'nd-end portion of the cylinder 36' for the purpose of supplying air, under pressure, to the cylinder, which air will urge the piston 31 and, consequently, the jaw 34 in a right-hand direction against the action of a coil spring 39 which surrounds an intermediate portion of the. piston rod 35. In order to permit the free movement of the piston 31, the right-hand end portion of the cylinder is provided with an aperture 40. From the above, it will be readily appreciated that the spring 39 will normally hold the jaw 35in itsopen left-hand position, and that whenever'air, under pressure, gains entrance into the cylinder by way of the hose 38, the jaw 34 will be forced in a right-hand direction, to the end that a heel blank |5 willbe clamped in its operative position.

Surrounding the abovenoted cylinder or drum mechanism is a substantially rectangular shaped open framework which includes front and rear members 4| and 42 and a pair of connecting side members 43 and 44. These various frame members may be welded, or otherwise suitably secured together, and for supporting them, there are provided four vertically disposed end posts 45, 45, the lower end portions of which may be secured to the floor in any appropriate manner. Projecting downwardly from the rear frame member 42 are a pair of bearing members 46 and 41 which are adapted to support the opposite end portions of a rotatable cutter shaft 48 in a manher as best disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2. An intermediate portion of the shaft 48 carries a cutting tool 49 which is adapted to perform the above described cupping operation in a manner which will be'heieinaftendscribed in more detail. Referring particularly to'Fig. 1, it is to be noted that the right-hand distal end portion of the shaft 48 carries a pulley 50 which is connected with a drive pulley 5| by means of a belt 52 Since the pulley 5| is carried uponthe' armature shaft ofan; electric motor '53, itis manifest that rotation of; the motor will function to drive the cutter 49. In the present machine, the cutter 49 is adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2. I p

Projecting downwardly from the front framemember 4| is an angle fian geinember which is designed to carry apatt'ern' elementor cam-5 5. As may be particularly noted inFig. 2, the ac tiy e face portion 55 of the pattern element isadaptedto be successively engaged by wheels 51; 51' carried upon the right han'd face portion ofthe cylinder 22. More specifically, eachof: the wheels 51, 51 is rotatably mounted upona shaftj tl -whlch, in turn, is carried by the cylinder 22. Stillreferring to Figs. 2", it willlbe observed thateach of; the wheels 51, 51 is disposed adjacent a respecti ve one of the blank clamping elements 23; 23; so that whenever the wheel element engages a raisedportion 58 of the pattern element 55,the cylinder member 22 will: pivot with thearm members l1 and I8 about thejshafts; |9, to the end that a blank member 15 carried within one, of; the clamping mechanisms, will beurgedagainst the cutter element 49. 'l'hu s 'itfl will beappreciated that the shape of thelactive portion 55{ or the pattern element 55" determines the manner in which the cutter 43 will shapethe wood heel blanks. As noted in Fig.1; the cutter-jois shaped so as to form a concavity within the outer sur face of the blank, and the portion 59 on thepattern element 55 is 'sodlsposed that the. faceof the blank will be curved: in a, manner as dis-, closed particularly in 8. Themotorfl functions to rotate the cylinder {2i to the enc 1 that; each of the clamping mechanisms 23, 2 3 is suecessively presented'to the cutterelement"which is, in turn, rotated by the motor 53 aspringjfi: may be attached'to the arm; |1 ,fo r urging the, Wheels 57 o vely. t.alliimes sa z sb h pattern element 55.

Each of the blank-gripping mechanisms23q23 is adapted to receive a wood-heelblankwhenthe mehanism s t. ehishe t po nt n. ts. ath. of rotation, and after the cupping operation has been completed and the grippi emechanism. is disposed at a ca i nas ia em a q tomr rr tion of its pathof traveh'it is; adapted todlsh r e the shed a k. so na h la t wil drop. either into a tote boig'or upon amoving conveyor belt.

For so c l n the. cti ns 1. thumpin e a i m he s 'n e e ti nt m l te the provision; of; an automatic air valve Twhichl' is generally designated'by Jthe numeral 60. "Referring. particularly to Figs. 1,.4,and 5. this air valve comprises a stationary :member 6| which surroundsthexleftehand end portion of the shaft 2|, and has its left-hand .face portion secured directly "to the :arm member l8. :Cooperating withthe member-6| is axportion .62 which surrounds and is rsecuredito theshaftFZl -S'as to rotate in synchronism ;:therewith. .However, as will be particularlyobserved in Fig.1, theirespectiveface portions 63 and 64 oflthe membersifil and -8,2 are 'disposedin intimatexcontact with each :other "and arch-adapted .to. rotate relative to each other during thex operation of the; ma-

chine. The member :61 has anarcuate groove 65 formed in its face-163 and communicating with this ,groove, is an inletv aperture 66 which may be connected .to:.an air pump'iBI by. meanslof aflexhaust tube 12.

The portion 82 of the air valve'is suitably coupled directly to the shaft 2!,and its face 64 is provided with a pluralityof apertures 13, 13 which are so located thereabout that they will communicate with the arcuate grooves '65 and "H of the member 6|, as the member62 rotates relative-to the member 6|. As maybe particularly noted in Fig. 1, each of-the-apertures 13, I3 may be connected witha respective one of the air cylinders '36, 36 by means of-a flexible hose 38.

From this, it will be appreciated that as the member 62 rotates in synchronism with the shaft 2 I, the various apertures 13, '13will'be' alternately connected with the pressurechamber or groove 65and the exhaust chamber or groove 10, to the end that the movable jaws 34, 34 willbe actuated in a proper sequence. More specifically, thearcuate grooves '65 and are-so disposed-about the stationary valve member 6| that each of the jaw elements 34, 34 will;be-closed wheneverits'assoelated clamping mechanism is disposed at the highest point in its path-ofrotation. Thereafter, the jaw member will remain closed until the clamping mechanism passes by therotary' cutter 49 and is disposed at-a location adjacent the lowest point in its pathoftravel. "Atthis juncture, the jaw will open and thus, the completed woodheel blankwill drop underthe-force of gravity into" either a'totebox orupon 'a moving-conveyor belt. w I

In other words, whenever one "of the apertures 73,- -|3 communicates fvvith' the pressure chamber or groove 65, air, under pressure, will enter the air cylinder, "to the end thatdtspiston 31will move in a right-hand direction against theaction of the spring '39. Obviously, the piston '31 will remain in this position until "its .associated aperture l3 communicates-with the exhaustehamber or groove 70, at which juncture "the air, under pressure, within the cylindenwill exhaust itself through the opening 'lkso' that thespring 39"will then move the-piston 311 'ina ieft handdirection 'so-asto open-theiaw 34and=releasethe completed automatic.

wood heel. :Fromthis; it.willibeiappreciatedithat the jawwill remainopen iuntiluafter its associated aperture :13 again communicates with thef pres- ,sure chamber65.

From the above,.it'-will be 'appreciated that'the entire working cycle l of zthe present :machine is fully automatic, and ":that' in one -form of the device, itis merely.necessary'foptheoperator to place the: rectangular shape heel blanks 15' successively within" the moving gripping mechanisms 23,-2'3,yfor the .remainingoperations are fully "However," as hereinafter Fdescribedf in further :detail, itheipresenti machine may be pro- 'vided with ianlautomatic. loadingctme'chanism, in

which case the .operator need merely supply the loading mechanism-with :the'f blanks in: a; manner whichzrequires absolutely norskill. Furthermore, it will beappreoiatedithat the pattern element may be readily remoyediromiits' fiange 54 by loosening the holding bolts 74,14. Thus, within a few minutes, the pattern-element 55 may be "l9 and 8B of asheetmetalframework'designated by the numeral 81 An "endless i belt '82 may be trained over therollers l5 and "16, and form-- tating this'belt in :a clockwise'direction, as-viewed in Fig. 10, the distalend portion of the roller shaft 11 may be providedwitnabeltpulley 83. An electric motor, not herein shown, may be'provided for rotating the pulley. 83 through the medium of abelt 84. As is particularlyidisclosed in Fig. 11, the framework 8lm'ay be secured to the horizontal arm 43 of the'machine frameby means'of a plurality of bolts 85,-85.

Referring both --toFigs. 10-and 11, it'is to be noted that the 'side po'rtions' 19'an'd-8'0 of the framework 8! project -upwardly above-the'upper surface of the endless belt 82 so as-to'function'as guide elements. Furthermore, the-right han'd end portion of the framework'is provided witha chan- 'nel guide generally designated by the numeral 86 which is disposed directly in line with the rotatin gripping mechanisms 23, 23. Thus, "an operator maydeposit the wooden blanks I 5, l5upon the'left-hand end portion" of the conveyor mechanism, as viewed in Fig. 10, and thereafter, the

endless belt 82-will function to "deliver theseblocks to the right-hand endportion of the mechanism, at'which pointthe'end block will be in direct alignment Withthewo'rk guide means .86. Thus,if this'tend' blockwere to'be urged lengthwise along the guide 86 and away from the "conveyormechanism;in'-propersynchronismwith the rotation of the drum 122, it wilrbe'appreciatedthat the block could'be deposited between the movable and stationary j'jaws ofone ofthe work gripping elements 23, 23. In order'to accomplish such an objective, the' p'r-esent conveyor-mechanism; is" provided with an air cylinder 81' which is secured'to one side of'the conveyor mechanism -by mea'nsbf aflange 88. This" aireylinder is provided with aiipiston 89andafpiston'rodtfl, the right-handend portiono'f which is" aligned with the guide means86 and. an aperture 9| provided within theframework of the conveyor. The left-hand portion of the cylinder 81 is provided with an air hose 92 which may also be connected with the air pump 51. Thus, if air, under pressure, is delivered to the left-hand end portion of the cylinder 81, the piston rod 90 will move in a right-hand direction so as to urge one of the wood-heel blanks through the guide means 86.

As hereinabove noted, the jaw elements of the gripping mechanisms 23, 23 are in an open condition until they reach the highest point in their path of traVeL after which the valve mechanism 60 functions to close the jaws. From this, it will be appreciated that the piston rod 90 should be synchronized with the motion of the drum 22, so that a wood-heel blank I may be inserted within the open gripping jaws of each clamping mechanism just prior to the closing of the latter. In order to accomplish this objective, the present invention contemplates the provision of a threeway valvemechanism 93 which may be mounted upon the top portion of the oscillating arm H by means of a flange 94.. This valve mechanism may be of a usual commercial type which is provided with an actuating lever 95' which is normally biased into its closed position by means of a leaf spring 96. This handle member 95 is so positioned that it will be engaged by each of the roller members 51, 51 as the drum 22 rotates in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 11. From this, it will be appreciated that such a valve 93 may be connected with the air line 92 so as to fill the piston 81 with air under pressure, whenever the valve is tripped by a respective one of the rollers 51, 51. After the roller has released the handle 95, it willbe effective to exhaust the cylinder 8,! so that the piston 89 may be returned in a left-hand direction under the action of a coil spring 91 provided within the cylinder. Thus, as soon as the piston rod 90 is retracted into the cylinder 81, a fresh wood-heel blank will move into place against the end portion of the conveyor or guide wall. From the above, it will be readily appreciated that the present conveyor mechanism is most simple and effective, for it will relieve an operator of the rather tedious job of endeavoring to place a single heel blank within each of the gripping mechanisms 23, as the same comes up into its heel-receiving position. Since the present machine is adapted to operate at a relatively high speed, it will be appreciated that without the present conveyor mechanism, an operator would soon .be subject to extreme fatigue. However, an operator may easily remove heel blanks from a tote box and place them upon the conveyor belt 82 with the expenditure of very little effort. As a matter of fact, an operator may place several heel blanks upon the conveyor belt 82 at once and obviously, no special care need be exercised in the placing of the blanks upon the conveyor belt, as compared to the rather accurate work required in placing such a blank within the heel gripping mechanisms 23, 23.. 1

As hereinabove'noted, the pattern element 55 can be removed. from the machine and replaced with a different pattern element, for the purpose of varying the'shape of the work produced on the machine. However, the present invention also contemplates the provision of a pattern element, the shape of which may be varied by a relatively simple hand operation; to the end that the pattern element need not be removed from the machine in order to varythe' shape of the work produced. .Such afor'm of pattern'eleme'nt will save much time and effort whenever the machine is to be changed .over forthe production of a different type heel.. For example, with the modified form' of pattern element, it is merely necessary for "the operator to make several adjustments, each of which may be made in accordance with an instruction sheet or chart, to the end that 'a relatively unskilled operator may set up the present-machine forthe production of different type heels. More specifically, the present modified form of pattern element is illustrated in Figs. 12, 13 and 14. Briefly stated, this device comprises a flexible strip of material 98, one surface of which is adapted to function as a cam or template. surface against which the various rollers 51, 51 may abut; In other words, the one surface of the strip 98 corresponds to the active surface of the pattern element 55. Means arep-rovided with this modified form of pattern element whereby the contour of the strip 98 may be varied so as to form any needed type of cam surface, to the end that an operator may vary such surface so as to adapt the machine for producing heel blanks of various shapes.

More specifically, the present modified pattern element comprises a metallic block 99 which may be milled so as to form an arcuate groove I00 and a plurality of grooves IN, IN which are disposed in a fan-like fashion so as to receive therein a plurality of tongue elements I02, I02. A plate member I03 may be suitably secured over the member 99 so as to cover the groove I00 and confine the various tongues I02, I02 within their respective grooves IOI, WI. The flexible strip 98 may be welded or otherwise secured at its upper end to a portion of the member 99, while its intermediate portions are sprin biased inwardly against the ends of the various tongues I02, I02. In order to so bias the strip 98, the pattern element is provided with a plurality of hooks I04, I04 which are so disposed upon either side of the pattern that they will engage the opposite marginal edge portions of the strip 98. The inner edge portions of each of the hooks I04, I04 is connected with one end of a coil spring I05, the otherend portion of which is secured to an abutment member I06 provided upon the member 99.

Threaded into the back wall portion I01 of the member 99 are a plurality of hand screws I08, I08 in a manner so that each of these screws will be axially aligned with a respective one of the tongues I02, I02. As may be noted'in Fig. 12, the screws I08, I08 are disposed in a staggered relation within the back wall I01 so as to afford proper clearance therebetween. From this, it will be understood that each of the screws I08, I08 may be individually adjusted by hand, to the end that the contour of the flexible strip 98 may be varied. Thus, by adjusting the screws I08, I08 back and forth, any desired contour of the strip 98 may be obtained, to the end that any desired shape may be produced on the wood-heel blanks I5, I5. The entire adjustable pattern mechanism may be mounted upon the angle bracket 54 by means of apa'inof bolts I09, I09 which are received in the apertures I I0, IIO, so as to be threaded directly within the angle bracket 54 in the same relativefp'osition as the pattern element 55which is disclosed in Fig. 2. Thus, when it is necessary to 'setupthe present machine for the production of difierent size wood-heel blanks, it is'merely-necessary for the operator to vary the contour of the flexible strip 98 by means of the adjusting screws I08, I08. I The present adjustable cam means may. be provided with some form of indicator so that the operator may adjust the various screws I08, I08 within predetermined limits, according to an instruction sheet which may be furnished with the machine, Such a cam may be adjusted by an unskilled operator, to the end. that the machine set-up time is greatly reduced. H

In order to further reduce the set-up time of the present machine, the present invention con templates the provision of a plurality of back stop members III, III, each of which .is associated with a res iect'ive one of the wood-heel clamping mechanisms :23, 23. More specifically, and with particular reference to Figs. 3, l1 and 17, it is to be understood that the rear portion of each of the stationary vjaw e'lements 3.2, 32 is provided with a slot II2for receiving therein an adjustable back stop element I I I,.one end portion of which isadapted. to serve as an abutment member-or stop for. the heel iblank II 5, so that the blank may be insertedbetween the jaws 32 and 3G a predetermined distance, depending upon the size of the heel to be produced. The other end portion of each of the stop members III, III is bent so as to be'disposed radially of the rotating drum 22. As may be particularly noted inFigs. 1 and 11, each. of these inner end portions N3 of the stop members III extends radially of the drum 22 through an aperture H4 in the drum wall, while the extreme inner end "portion thereof extends mgr-mumm of "the drum so as to be rigidly secured'uponfthe inner face of an adjusting ring II5 carried upon the right-hand end portion of the drum. This adjusting ring H5 is slidably .mountedjupon an inner ring I I6 rigidly secured to the drum by means of :a plurality of screws H6, H6". Sinceeach of the inner end portions of the radial members H3, H3 extend through a respectiveoneof a group of apertures H1, H1 provided in the drum,it will be appreciated that the adjusting ring H5 may be rotated back and forth about the ring II'B so as to shift the adjustable stops 'III, III relative to their associated jaw members 32, 32. As may be noted in Fig. IL'the-adjusting strip -I I5 has an abutment H8 disposed thereon for the purpose of functioning as a handle and, at the same time, the drum end isprovided with appropriate indicia IIB so that the operator-may shift the strip H5 a predetermined distance in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, for the purpose of altering the position-f each of the heel blanks within their respective gripping mechanism. Bolts I I, H5 passing through elongated slots H9, III! function to lock'the ringI I5 in any desired position of adjustment.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that as the size of the various heels vary, it is necessary to alter-the angle of the cupping cut relative to thebottom or flat portion of the heel. In order to vary this angle, the present invention contemplates the provision of an adjustable wood-heel blank support. With particular reference to Figs. 3, 15, 16 and 17, it is to be noted that a wood-heel blank support member I 20 is disposed within the recess 33, of the stationary jaw member 32. Also, each of these sup-port members I20, I 20'is pivotally secured to its associated jaw member 32 by means of a in I 2!. Thus, the rear portion of each of the support members I20, I20 may be raised and lowered relative to its associated jaws. .By so adjusting the support member or platform I20, it will be understood that the angle'between the bottom portion of the heel blank and its cupping contour will be altered. I r i In order to adjust each of the platform members I26, I20 simultaneously, each is provided at its lower rear portion with a link member I22, I22. Each of these links I22, I22 is pivotally connected at its inner end to a respective one of a plurality of transverse rods I23, I23 which are disposed between a pair of disk elements I24 and I25. As may be noted particularly in Figs. 15 and 16, the inner disk element I25 is provided with an apertured hub I26 which is rotatably mounted upon the shaft 2|, while the other disk 124 is adjustably secured against the left-hand end portion of the drum 22. Each of the rods I 23, I 23 extends through an aperture I21 provided in the drum end so that as the disk I24 is rotated back and forth, it will function to raise or lower each of the support members I 20., I 20. The disk IZ i may be secured to the-drum end by means, of a, plurality of bolts I28, 128, eachof which passes through an elongatedslot I29 provided within the disk I26. Thus, a limited turning movement may be imparted to the disk, to'the end that all of the support members I20, I20 may be adjusted up or down simultaneously. Formed on the-peripheral portion of .the disk I24 is a handle member I30 which maybe used by the operator for adjusting the above noted mechanism, while the drum end maybe provided with appropriate indicia I3! which cooperates with the Q handle member I39 so. as to indicate the amount ofmovement imparted to the disk I 24., g 'y I From the above, it will be appreciatedthat in the event it is necessary to alter the present machine for the purpose of accommodating it to produce different size heels, it is merely-necessary to furnish the operator with an appropriate chart so that the operator may adjust, the pattern ,element, the back stop elements III, III, and the support elements I20, i211, according to the information contained on the chart. In other words, the various screws I08, I08 of the pattern element may be turned a predetermined distance so as to produce a desired contour on thefiexible strip 98, while each of the rings Band 124 "may be rotated a predetermined distance, all for. the purpose of accommodating the machine for the production of different size wood-heel blanks. Obviously, these three ad ustments may be made by an unskilled operator for he merely need make these adjustments in accordance with the instructions containe'don a chart, and no particular mechanical skill is required. Fur-thermore, it will. be "appreciated that these threead- Justments may bequicklymade and thus, the machine may be-ready for the accommodation of different size heel blanks within a few'ihinutes. In this connection, as those skilled in the art well know, it has been necessary, when using prior art types of machines, "for'an operator-to spend two or three hour-sin changing over amachine from one-set-up to "another. Obviously, the present machine'isv so designed so that an operator may cut this set-up time down from several hours toa few minutes, thus making it economically feasible to utilize a fully automatic inachine in the p-rodiictionfo'f wood-heelblanks, even though the actual number of blanks to be produced for any one job is relatively small. :In other words, theresent machine can beadjusted in such a short time that it can produce economically within an eight-hour day, sever-a1 orders of different type wood-heel blanks, even though the actual number of blanks making up each order is relatively small.

I claim:

1. A wood shaping machine comprising, a cutter rotatably mounted about a fixed axis, a plurality of work-holding clamps, a carrier for supporting all of said clamps for rotation in unison about a first axis disposed substantially in parallelism with the axis of said cutter, with said clamp carrier being mounted about a second axis laterally spaced from and disposed in parallelism with said first axis, means for opening and closing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, means for rotating said carrier to move said clamps about said first axis and past said cutter, and means effective to oscillate said carrier with said clamps about said second axis thereby to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the work carried by the clamps.

2. A wood shaping machine comprising, a cutter rotatably mounted about a fixed axis, a plurality of work-holding clamps, a carrier for supporting all of said clamps for rotation about a common first axis disposed in parallelism with the axis of said cutter, with said clamp carrier being mounted about a second axis laterally spaced from and disposed in parallelism with said first axis, means for opening and closing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, means for rotating said carrier to move all of said clamps in synchronism about said common first axis and past said cutter, and cam means efiective to oscillate said carrier with said clamps about said second axis thereby to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the work carried by the clamps.

3. A wood shaping machine comprising, a. cutter rotatably mounted about a fixed axis, a plurality of work-holding clamps, a carrier for supporting all of said clamps for rotation about a common first axis disposed substantially in parallelism with the axis of said cutter, with said clamp carrier being rockably mounted about a common second axis laterally spaced from and disposed in parallelism with said first axis, means for opening and closing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, means for rotating said carrier to move all of said clamps in synchronism about said first axis and past said cutter, and means effective to oscillate said carrier with all ofsaid clamps in synchronism about said second axis thereby to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the work carried by the clamps.

4. A wood shaping machine comprising, a cutter rotatably mounted about a fixed axis, workcarrying means rotatably mounted about a first axis disposed substantially in parallelism with the axis of said cutter and rockably mounted about a second axis laterally spaced from and disposed in parallelism with said first axis, a plurality of work-holding clamps mounted on said workcarrying means, meansfor opening and closing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, means for rotating said work-carrying means about said first axis so as to present each-of said clamps to said cutter, and means effective to oscillate said work-carrying. means about said second axis thereby to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the work carried by each of said clamps.

5. A wood shaping machine comprising, a cutter rotatably mounted about a fixed axis, workcarrying means rotatably mounted about a first axis disposed substantially in parallelism with the axis of said cutter and rockably mounted about a second axis laterally spaced from and disposed in parallelism with said first axis, a plurality of work-holding clamps mounted on said work-carrying means for securing a plurality of work pieces upon said work-carrying means, means for opening and closing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, means for rotating said work-carrying means about said first axis so as to present each of said clamps to said cutter, and cam means effective to oscillate said work-carrying means about said second axis so as to control the relative spacing between each of said work clamps and said cutter thereby to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the work carried by each of said clamps.

6. A wood shaping machine comprising, a pair of arms pivotally mounted about a common axis, a. work-carrying member rotatably mounted between said arms and about an axis spaced from and in parallelism with the common pivotal axis of said arms, means for rotating said work-carrying member about its axis of rotation, a plurality of work-holding clamps mounted on said workcarrying member for securing a plurality of work pieces upon said member, means for opening and closing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, a. cutter rotatably mounted adjacent the periphery of said work-carrying member, and means for oscillating said arms back and forth about said common pivotal axis thereby to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the work carried by each of said clamps.

7. A wood shaping machine comprising, a pair of arms pivotally mounted about a common axis, a work-carrying member rotatably mounted between said arms and about an axis spaced from and in parallelism with the common pivotal axis of said arms, means for rotating said work-carrying member about its axis of rotation, a plurality of work-holding clamps mounted on said workcarrying member for securing a plurality of work pieces upon said member, means for opening and closing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, a cutter rotatably mounted adjacent the periphery of said work-carrying member, cam-engaging means carried by said work-carrying member, and a stationary cam member engageable with said cam-engaging means thereby to cause said arms to oscillate about said common pivotal axis so as to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the work carried by each of said clamps.

8. A wood shaping machine comprising, a pair of vertically disposed arms pivotally mounted at their lower end portions about a common horizontal axis, a work-carrying member rotatably mounted between the upper end portions of said 1 arms and about a horizontal axis, a plurality of work-holding clamps mounted on said work-carryin member for securing a plurality of work pieces upon said member, means for opening and closing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, a cutter rotatably mounted adjacent the periphery of said work-carrying member, means for rotating said cutter, means for rotating said workcarrying member about its horizontal axis so as to present each of the work piecesto said cutter, cam-engaging means carried by said work-carrying member, and a stationary cam member engageable with said cam-engaging means thereby to cause said arms to oscillate about said common pivotal axis so as to control'the cutting ac tion of the cutter upon the work carried within each of said clamps,

9. A wood shaping machine comprising, a pair of arms pivotally mounted about a common axis,

. a work-carrying member rotatably mountedbetween said arms and about an axis spaced from and in parallelism with the-common pivotal axis of said arms; a pluraltiy of fluid operated worke holding clamps mounted on saidl work-carrying cutterrotatably mounted adjacentsithe periphery of :said work-carrying member, means for rotat-i ing; said .1 cutter, means @for. rotating said work-1 carrying member 'soyas. to presenteacli of "the Work pieces tosaid cutten: cameengagin imeans carried, by said ;workecarryin'g. memher,-. and a 3. stationary cam .members engageable with'lsaid cam-engaging meansiithereby to..:cause said arms to oscillateiabout saidi'common pivotal axis so as to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the work carried by'each of said clamps.

10. A wood shaping machine comprising, a substantially cylindrical shaped. work-carrying means rotatablymounted about its longitudinal axis and rockably mounted about a second axis laterally spaced from and disposed in parallelism with-said:- longiti-idinal- I axis; a cutter rotatably mounted abouta-fixed axisdisposed adjacent the periphery. of said Work-carrying means, I apicrality of. workholding-clamps circumferentially spaced about the peripheryof said work-carrying means, means for opening and closing said clamps in a, predetermined cycle, means for rotating said work-carrying means about said longitudinal axis so as to present each of said clamps to said cutter, and cam means effective to oscillate said work-carrying means about said second.

axis so as to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the work carried by each of said clamps. I

11. A Wood shaping machine comprising a pair of arms pivotally mounted about a common axis, a work-carrying member rotatably mounted between said arms and about an axis spaced from and in parallelism with the common pivotal axis of said arms, a cutter rotatably mounted adjacent the periphery of said work-carryin member, means for rotating said cutter, a plurality of work-holding clamps mounted on said Work-carrying member for securing a plurality of work pieces upon said member, means for rotating said work-carrying member about its axis of rotation thereby to present each of the work pieces to said cutter, means for oscillating said arms back and forth about said common pivotal axis thereby to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the Work pieces, fluid-operated means for opening and closing said clamps, fluid operated feeding means for successively inserting a work piece within each of the open clamps, and means responsive to the relative movement between said work-carrying member and said arms for controlling both of said fluid-operated means.

12. A wood shaping machine comprising, a cut ter rotatably mounted about a fixed axis, a plurality of work-holding clamps, a carrier for supporting all of said clamps for rotation in unison about a first axis disposed substantially in parallelism With the axis of said cutter, with said clamp carrier being mounted about a second axis laterally spaced from and disposed in parallelism with said first axis, means for opening and clos ing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, means for rotating said carrier to move said clamps about said first axis and past said cutter, means effective to oscillate said carrier with said clamps about said second axis thereby to control the cutting .actions. of. the :cutter uponi the work; carried 2,

by the clamp, said last mentioned means include ing. aapattern; device i having. an? adjustable. cam surface; and manually.operableLmeans. for ad justing saidrcam surface therebWtoralter. the

cutting; actioniof: thezcutter; uponzthe'. WOlk.

l3: Awoodgshapingmachinebomprising,a:cut-

ter vrotatably mounted.about'za;fixed1axis;v ai plue rality... of workaholdihg: clamps each rotatably mounted about .a first axis disposed in parallelismi with the :axis of saidcutter andirockablyomounted about a. second :axis laterally spacedzfrom; and. disposed in parallelism with said firstiaxia means'- foropeninguand. closing'said clampsziinia. predetermined-cycle;imeansifonrotating each of said clamps. about its: firstxaxisnndz past said ,cutter,

means-,efiectiveztoz.oscillataeach ofisaid: clamps.

about its siecondgaxis thereby to rcontrohthe cut+ ting:.action;of the. cutter uponz-thetworkzcarried by. the clamp;-: means: associatedr with; each:-. ofsaid I: clampsi .forzfadjusting; thezposition of. the work .within; said clamps; sore thate various: size. pieces. maybe accommodaLtedtherein; .and means connecting all of; said-llast: mentioned;- means whereby they may ;be simultaneously zadj usted by a-single manual operation:

14: A wood? shaping machines comprising; a

substantially cylindrical shaped workecarrying; memberarotatablyrmountedrabout its;longitudinal axis .andQrockably'mountednbaut 'anr'axisilaterally spaced from its longitudinal axis, a plurality of work-holding clamps spaced, circumferentially about said work-carrying member, means for automatically opening and closing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, a cutter element rotatably mounted adjacent said work-carrying member, means to rotate said cutter, means ,for rotating said work-carrying means about its longitudinal axis so as to present each of said clamps to said cutter, means for oscillating said work-carrying member about its second axis thereby to control the action of the cutter upon the work carried by said clamps, means associated with each of said clamps for adjusting the workradially of said work-holding member so that various size work pieces may be accommodated therein, and means connecting all of said last mentioned means whereby they may be simultaneously adjusted by a single manual operation.

15. A wood shaping machine comprising, a pair of arms pivotally mounted about a common axis, a work-carrying member rotatably mounted between said arms and about an axis spaced from and in parallelism with the common axis of said arms, a plurality of work-holding clamps mounted on said work-carrying member for securing a plurality of work pieces upon said member, means for opening and closing said clamps in a predetermined cycle, a cutter rotatably mounted adjacent the periphery of said work-carrying member, means for rotating said cutter, means for rotating said work-carrying means about its axis of rotation so as to present each of the Work pieces to said cutter, means to cause said arms to oscillate about said common axis so as to control the cutting action of the cutter upon the work carried by each of said clamps, means associated with each of said clamps for adjusting the position of the work within the clamp so as to accommodate the clamps for work of various sizes, and a handle rotatably mounted about the rotary axis of said work-carrying member and connected with all of said'last mentioned means so that the latter may all be simultaneously adjusted by a single rotary movement of said handle. V

16. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a base, a tool mounted in an adjustably fixed position on said base, a turret head rotatable about an axis spaced from said tool, a work holder mounted on said head and spaced from said axis so as to move past said tool in a curved path when the head rotates, and means for shifting said axis of rotation toward and from said tool during the rotation of said head to modify the curvature of the path of the work holder as it passes the tool.

1'7. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a base, a tool mounted on said base in a fixed position, a bearing member hinged to said base to rock about a horizontal axis lower than and offset from said tool, a horizontal shaft journalled in said bearing member above said hinge axis, a turret head mounted on and rotatable with said shaft, a plurality of work clamping devices mounted on said turret head spaced from the axis of rotation thereof and arranged to move in a curved path past said tool as the turret ro tates, and means for gradually rocking said bearing member on its hinge axis as the turret rotates whereby to modify the curvature of said curved path.

18. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a base, a tool mounted in a fixed position on 16 said base, a bearing member movably mounted on said base, a shaft Joumalled in said bearing member, a turret head mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith, a work holder carried by said head to move in a generally circular path past said tool, means automatically closing and opening said work holder at predetermined loading and discharging points in its path before and after it passes said tool, means adjacent to said bearing member for feeding a work piece to said work holder just before it reaches its loading point, and means moving said bearing member to shift the axis of said shaft toward and from said tool during the rotation of said shaft whereby to modify the curvature of the path of the work holder as it passes the tool.

WlLFRED J. GRENIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 66,184 Steams June 25, 1867 2,026,040 Howe Dec. 31, 1935 2,076,123 Gealdini Apr. 6, 1937 2,151,875 Sosa Mar. 28, 1939 2,220,180 Spitzglass et al. Nov. 5, 1940 

